VERONETTA

165 €

Veronetta

“Veronetta” is the name given by Napoleon to a part of the city situated on the left bank of the river which at the time was under the command of the Austrians. Little did the French general know that this part of Verona, which he considered unimportant, is the very heart, the birthplace of our city. Come visit this practically unknown area where our city was founded: from the bronze age to the Celts, from the Romans to the Goths, from the Middle Ages to the Venetian and Austrian dominations: everybody left a trace of their passage.
Travel in time with us and discover a part of Verona with few tourists and many surprises.

The starting point of the tour is by the Roman stone bridge, a masterwork dating back to the 1st century BC and the oldest monument in town together with the roman Theatre,superbly positioned not far away on the banks of the river. This theatre was built on the slopes of a hill following the example of greek theatres and at the summit a temple completed the structure. Nowadays all we see is Castel San Pietro, the barracks built by the Austrians in the XIXth century in the neo-romanesque style which more or less copies the architecture of the buildings of the XIIth century. It is proof that the Austrian rulers wished to adapt their constructions to their surroundings.
A staircase hidden between the houses leads upwards to the top of the hill and here you can catch your breath by admiring the awesome view in front of you: your guide will help you recognize the outlay of the roman city and identify the bell towers, the churches, the most famous monuments of Verona which are spread out below you.One can also see the ancient course of the river Adige which separated in two branches and then reunited forming an ‘Island’ and this is where all the merchants and traders and artisans of the past were active since most goods travelled by water.

Narrow alleys lead us downhill, the atmosphere is perfect for the many legends and stories that we are told took place here and we soon reach a church worth visiting: San Giovanni in Valle. The church was rebuilt after an earthquake in the XIIth century but is much older. It is well known for its beautiful cloister and for two important paleo-christian tombs.
Our next stop is at the church of Santa Maria in Organo, one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries in Verona. It is famous not only for the series of frescoes by Veronese painters of the late XVth-early XVIth century, but mainly for the outstanding choir and vestry cupboards with their inlaid wood panels designed and carved by Fra Giovanni da Verona.
Only the very wealthy patrons of the church could afford to pay for this type of decoration and one of the best known families still lives around the corner in a palace with a beautiful garden.
The Giusti Garden was mainly laid out in the late XVIth century and is one of the most famous Italian Renaissance gardens.The century old cypress trees, the maze and much more will arouse the amazed wonder of the guests, one of which was Goethe. Another guest was Mozart and as we imagine the young musician trying to exit the maze let us proceed towards the last stop of our tour: the church of San Tommaso Cantuariense where Wolfgang Amadeus held a concert in January 1770 using the great baroque organ.
We reach another bridge: Ponte Nuovo and after you have crossed it you will find yourself back among the crowds, leaving behind you the sights and sounds of a unique part of the city, filled with ancient and hidden treasures…and also you will be able to confirm that Verona would not exist without ‘Veronetta’.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

TYPE OF ITINERARY

MAXIMUM DURATION: 3,5 hours

MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION: walking tour.

SUITED FOR: groups, families, individuals.

EXTRA COSTS

Entrance at Giardino Giusti and contribution to a few churches.

PARKINGS

TOURIST BUSSES: check out www.amt.it for entrance fee to the city and parking fees.

All Parking areas are more or less a 10-15 minute walk from the Arena (Piazza Brà).

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES

THIS TOUR IS AVAILABLE IN: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish and Japanese. Ask for the language you are interested in.

IN-DEPTH VISIT OF VERONA

TO COMPLETE YOUR DAY: Basilica of S. Zeno, Church of S. Anastasia, the Cathedral, Museum of Castelvecchio, Gallery of Modern Art, Verona and the Della Scala family, Verona in Roman times, the Venetian domination.